Young Lions Watch: The Aston Villa youngsters fans should look out for this summer
Aston Villa began their pre-season preparations on Monday, returning to training ahead of a busy summer schedule.
This will see a host of young talent setting out to impress as they look to make their break into the senior team.
The Athletic picked out Cameron Archer as the young Villan to watch this summer, but we wanted to bring attention to players who most fans would have not seen much of yet.
While Archer is a tremendously talented player, his talents are well-known thanks to his goalscoring exploits last season.
However, part of the joy of preseason is finding an unknown youngster that you can then tip for greatness in the future instead of an already well-known star.
Who you should actually look out for
Villa have one of the most stacked academies in the country, but there are a few bright lights across different age groups to pay attention to.
Firstly, there is 17-year-old defender Kerr Smith, who joined Villa from Dundee United in January. Smith will already be familiar to Scottish football fans after he made his professional debut for The Tangerines aged just 16.
He is an incredibly talented young defender and has already shone in senior football, making him a strong candidate for the Villa team in years to come.
Villa also have one of the brightest young attacking talents in the country in the form of 17-year-old Ajani Burchall.
Like Smith, he has already made his senior debut after appearing for Bournemouth just one month after his 16th birthday.
It is unclear what age group Burchall and Smith will play in during preseason, as some youngsters will be with the senior team and others staying with the academy.
However, fans will find out this week as a team of youth players take on Chasetown on Friday while the senior team take on Walsall on Saturday.
In other Aston Villa news, the Villa squad is set to be split in two during the early stages of preseason.